


Second Thoughts

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-30
Updated: 2006-03-30
Packaged: 2019-02-02 07:25:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12722199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: What if Jack is not the Jack you know?





	Second Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

  
Author's notes: Violence, non-con (NOT rape), adult language.  


* * *

"Good morning, Daniel." 

Turning at the sound of his name, Daniel found Sergeant Colin Bridgman standing in his open doorway, enticingly waving a book in the air. 

Daniel brightened at the sight of his guest and the object he carried. "That's it?" 

Daniel turned toward the sergeant, taking a careful sip of his hot coffee. He'd been impatiently waiting for this book to come in. It was about vanishing Earth languages, something to read that was entirely different from his notes on the Goa'uld and other alien languages. 

He was happy for the opportunity to read something 'normal' for a change, and he was pleased that Sergeant Bridgman had helped him with that suggestion. 

The sergeant, working for the SGC for about three weeks now, was very interested in Daniel's work and was a pretty skilled linguist himself. Daniel liked the way the guy was able to think on his feet, coming up with new ideas and thoughts. He was enthusiastic and would often come running into Daniel's office to share a new thought, or to talk about a new theory he had come up with while translating something. 

Colin was a tall, dark and handsome man, slightly older than Daniel. He had signed on to assist SG-11 and had been assigned to help Daniel translate artefacts brought back by all of the SG teams, when time permitted. 

The work was all new to the soldier, but he seemed to have the patience to learn from Daniel. Daniel was delighted to teach him, of course. He loved to share his knowledge with others, and not many people on base had ever expressed a great interest in his work. Colin had shown lots of potential.

Daniel was also pleased that he seemed not only to have found a new colleague, but also a friend in this man. He could always count on the sergeant to come along for a cup of coffee, or to drag him off for something to eat. 

Colin almost reminded him of Jack at times, although it had been a while since Jack had done any of this. Lately it seemed like Jack tiptoed around him more than he talked to him. Daniel was starting to wonder about the reason for this, but he didn't feel like spending energy on it and finding out right now. He knew he could be way too stubborn at times, as could Jack. 

So it wasn't really strange that he spent so much time with Colin. The man listened to him. They shared common ground, although Bridgman was a military guy. Daniel felt that Colin took him seriously, and that meant a lot to him. 

"Any missions scheduled this week, Daniel?" Colin asked.

"Huh?" Daniel had been too engrossed in his thoughts about Jack and Colin, not really paying attention as he grabbed for the book. 

"Missions." Bridgman raised his eyebrows and grinned and him. "Remember? The stargate? SG-1?" 

"Oh, sure." Daniel let out a sigh. "We have an off world trip in two days." Then he started skimming the first pages of the book, while he gave Colin a quick smile. "Plenty of time to read this."

"Plenty of time." Bridgman pulled the book from his hands. "Let's go get some breakfast, I'm starving." 

"But." 

"I do need to eat, Daniel, if you want me to translate anything more." He pulled at Daniel's arm. 

Daniel wasn't much interested in eating. He often wished he could go without food for a very long time. He wasn't even hungry anyway. Colin always seemed to be eating. He couldn't figure out how the man stayed so thin. 

Sighing, Daniel allowed himself to be guided to the door just as Jack O'Neill came walking in. Daniel noticed his grim expression as he looked from Bridgman back to Daniel. 

Jack hadn't actually out and out told him he didn't like the sergeant very much, but he sure didn't have too many problems demonstrating his dislike. Jack treated the other soldier as if he were a criminal of some sort, and Daniel had heard him mumbling about attitude problems every time Colin and he were together. Why didn't Jack just leave it alone?

Daniel sighed and braced for the verbal altercation he knew was coming.

* * *

Jack bristled when he found Sgt. Bridgman in Daniel's office. He couldn't quite put his finger on what his issue with the younger soldier was, he just knew there was something about his mannerisms that rubbed him the wrong way. There was a touch of arrogance in Colin's countenance, and he seemed to always be trying too hard to be friendly. As far as Jack was concerned, no one should have to try to be friendly. 

"Sergeant," he acknowledged, managing a small grin. "Can I talk to you, Daniel?" 

"Sure." 

"Alone," he said, pointedly looking at Colin.

Bridgman frowned and without saying a word, he left the office.

"You could be nicer to him, Jack," Daniel reprimanded, as soon as Colin's footsteps faded away. They'd had this discussion before. It seemed to be the only thing they'd talked about for weeks now, and Jack didn't want to push it again. He couldn't seem to help it though. 

"Oh, please." Jack almost shivered. "The guy is a smooth talker."

"And you have a problem with that?"

"Well." Jack wanted to say that he hated the guy, he didn't trust him, and not only that, but he thought he was a sleaze ball, but somehow he knew none of that would impress his teammate. He raised his hand in a helpless gesture instead. "Ah, forget it." 

"If you say so, Jack." 

He could swear that he saw Daniel grin, but it was only for a moment. He sighed and dropped some papers on Daniel's desk, the reason he had come looking for the archaeologist in the first place. "We have a small problem here."

"Problem?"

"Someone has a very large interest in Tollan technology."

"Don't we all?" Daniel asked the obvious, since it was true. Jack would love to get his hands on some good Tollan technology, to help them fight the Goa'uld, but the Tollan would never give them anything, especially weapons technology. They were Earth's allies and helped the SGC in any way they could, but were very careful about what technology they shared. 

"Jack." Daniel was smiling at him now, but it was a tired smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm very interested in the Tollan language, and I've been studying it for a while now. It's very complicated, as is their technology. Don't you think it's normal that SGC personnel are doing research about this?" 

"Only about weapons?" 

"So?" Daniel was walking past him now. "I'm late for breakfast, Jack. What did Sam say?"

"Same as you did." 

"See?" Daniel pulled at Jack's sleeve. "Relax."

"Gonna have breakfast with Mister-I'm-the-Best-in-the-World?" 

"Jack."

"Okay, so I don't like the guy."

"Yeah, you've made that perfectly clear."

Despite his 2IC and civilian advisor's assurances that nothing out of the ordinary was going on regarding the Tollan information in the database, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he was on to something. 

He planned on keeping an eye on one Sergeant Colin Bridgman. The guy was just too good to be true, his service record suspiciously clean. Okay, so most soldiers didn't have a file four inches thick like he did, but a few slip-ups were normal, and Bridgman's file showed none of that. For crying out loud, even Carter had some marks against her record.

Jack followed Daniel out into the corridor, noticing Bridgman waiting for them down far enough where he was sure their conversation hadn't been overheard. 

Jack waved an impatient hand toward the soldier. 

Colin called out to him, "Breakfast?" 

Daniel looked back at Jack. "Wanna come?"

"Nah," O'Neill mumbled. "Too busy." *yeah, right*

A small voice suddenly reminded Jack that he was behaving like a jealous teenager or something, one who wanted his friend all to himself. And yeah, Daniel was his friend. But since this Bridgman had appeared, he'd hardly had any time to speak to Daniel. Not that he'd done a lot of talking before Bridgman had arrived. But he wanted to make that up to Daniel. The whole situation, the way this new guy had slimed his way into Daniel's life, just made Jack cranky. It had really struck a nerve.

He still was planning on making it up to Daniel, though. Bridgman or no Bridgman. 

He tried a half smile and turned to Daniel. "You know, I was planning on going to my favorite restaurant in town after work. Wanna come?" He sounded kind of desperate, even to himself. 

They'd been going out to dinner together for a while, way before Bridgman had arrived. Daniel didn't like to cook, and it wasn't Jack's favorite pastime either. It was always nicer to go out together, for the company. 

Daniel was good company when you got past all the archaeological chitchat. Jack had really missed their dinners together, and it was his plan to make this one the first step towards mending some fences in their relationship. When had they stopped doing dinner, anyway? Jack couldn't even remember. 

"Sure," Daniel mumbled, but didn't sound all too excited about the prospect.

Well, at least his friend, and he still considered Daniel to be his best friend, hadn't outright turned him down. It was a start to try and rescue what was left of the connection they seemed to have lost God knows when. 

Jack vowed that he wasn't going to screw up again.

* * *

It was late in the evening, and Daniel was reading his book. 

He'd gone home early for a change, with a terrible headache. He'd called Jack to say he couldn't make it for dinner. The long pause on the other end of the phone had made him twinge with guilt, but he just honestly hadn't been feeling up to it. Jack also hadn't been good company for the last weeks, or was that months? 

Now it was like he wanted to take Colin apart limb by limb every time they saw each other. Daniel wondered if Jack really had a reason for his behavior. A little voice inside him told him Jack had just been acting childish. But had he? 

After breakfast, the day had gone downhill with the incoming work far outweighing what Daniel was able to get off his desk. Sadly, even the enjoyment he'd anticipated in reading his new book had been lessened by the throb in his head. 

Now, at home alone, he wearily rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes.

A loud rapping on his door made him jerk upright on the couch, sending the book flying. He must have fallen asleep. 

Standing up in a confused daze, he checked his watch. Three in the morning. Who could be at his door at this hour? Daniel groaned, and hoped it wasn't Mrs. Gilson from next door again. The woman didn't seem to understand the concept of neighborly courtesy, and she also kept weird hours.

He put his glasses straight on the bridge of his nose and sighed, rubbing his face and trying to wake up. "Coming," he called out.

He looked through the peephole and saw a familiar face. It was Jack. Daniel shook his head in puzzlement. What in the world was Jack doing there at that hour? 

Daniel momentarily leaned his forehead against the door, wishing he hadn't responded to the knock. He didn't feel like getting into another argument with Jack. 

Maybe his friend was angry that he hadn't come to dinner, but he'd stood Jack up before and hadn't gotten a 3AM wake up call as a result. True, the tension between them hadn't fully disappeared after the whole Tollan/Nox/Asgard secret operation. Since that time, Jack had seemed to buy into conspiracy theories, the episode in his office earlier being a prime example. 

Daniel opened the door with a sigh and quickly did a step backwards as Jack pushed into the room quickly, almost hitting him in the face. 

The colonel looked bewildered and unshaven. Daniel wondered at his bedraggled appearance, finding it strange that the growth on Jack's chin seemed to be a couple of days' accumulation. He didn't remember that from this morning. 

Shaking the trivial thought from his head, Daniel dismissed the lateness of the hour and decided to address his concerns. Hey, opportunity knocked. "I think we need to talk, Jack. Want a beer?" 

In response to his question, Jack snarled and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Daniel. 

Now Daniel really was confused. His friend Jack had come to his place in the middle of the night, and now he was pointing a gun at him. If this was his idea of a practical joke, it wasn't funny.

"Jack?"

"Get back!" O'Neill waved the gun and before Daniel could move, he gave him a shove.

"What's going on?" Daniel stuttered, fear replacing the confusion.

"You're coming with me, Jackson," Jack growled, voice hard and unrelenting.

Daniel froze. Jack never called him Jackson anymore. His mind raced. Something had to be wrong with his friend. Maybe Jack was under the influence of something alien, but they hadn't been off world for a while. Daniel felt his heart racing in his chest, and he hoped he wasn't showing as much fear as he was feeling.

"Coming where, Jack?" he ingenuously asked, hoping playing dumb would give him enough time to figure out what was going on.

"Shut the fuck up!" 

Jack's fist crashed into his jaw, and Daniel landed on the floor in a jumbled heap. Daniel was stunned, trying to get up and touching the side of his face, warily watching Jack's angry stance. 

None of this made any sense! Their relationship had been rocky lately, but not to the extent Jack would hurt him. Damn it, that had really hurt. Jack must be insane, totally out of it. He must be. 

Daniel's feeling of fear broadened to include dread, creeping up inside him. He had to get away from Jack. He had to contact Sam. Or Teal'c. Or *anyone*. Jack needed help. And so did he. He had no doubt that Jack could seriously hurt him or even kill him in the mindset he was now in.

Movement at his front door, which was still ajar, distracted Daniel slightly, and he looked over to find his friend Colin striding into the room. 

Daniel relaxed, sighing with relief. He didn't even question the soldier's arrival, as Colin had often visited his place before to do work or just to talk. Daniel felt lucky the man had shown up right then, hoping he could help him with Jack.

"Colin, thank God," he breathed, trailing off with dismay as his friend ignored him, looking only at Jack.

"Colonel." Bridgman saluted sharply. "Any trouble?"

"Sergeant." O'Neill saluted nonchalantly, looking bored with the whole situation. "No trouble whatsoever," Jack smugly stated, rocking back on his heels.

Daniel was even more confused now and scooted away on his butt. What? This wasn't right. "What's going on, Colin?" He looked between Colin's cool face and Jack's hard one.

"Sorry, Daniel." The guy just stood there and did nothing. 

Meanwhile O'Neill waved his gun at him. "Like I said, you're coming with us. Now!"

"The hell I am!" Daniel suddenly felt a rage coming up. He didn't understand what was going on, but he did know he had trusted Colin. Hell, he trusted Jack. He jumped up, grabbed an Egyptian clay pot from the floor, and threw it at O'Neill's head.

It didn't hit his mark, but it did make Jack falter and lose his balance for just a moment, enough for Daniel to run inside his study and slam and lock the door. 

He heard Colin curse on the other side of the barrier, which suddenly seemed very flimsy. The phone, he needed the phone to call Sam. Searching the cluttered room for it, he shivered in fear as he listened to the two men in his living room slamming against his study door, trying to force it open. It was only a matter of time. He could see the thing bow in with each crash of their shoulders.

The number. He knew Sam's number, and he tried to get his hands and fingers in control again to dial it. He had to concentrate. Panic was eating into him, and he knew it would only delay his actions. He needed to get a grip. God, he hoped the door would hold long enough for him to get through.

"Come on Sam, pick up the goddamn phone," he desperately muttered as the pounding on the door increased. Shouldn't the neighbors be hearing this? Nosey old Mrs. Gilson for sure. Maybe she'd call the cops.

"Carter." The voice sounded very sleepy on the other side.

"Sam, it's Daniel," he hissed, not wanting Jack and Colin to hear he was on the phone.

"Daniel?"

"Listen, Sam. This is important." Daniel looked back. The door was about to give way. He swallowed. All he could do was relay the little information he had and hope Sam would know what to do with it. 

"Bridgman and Jack are here, and there's something wrong with them. Sam, Jack's not himself. He hit me and knocked me down, and he says he wants me to go somewhere with them, and I don't know--"

"Who?" He heard Sam's confused voice. "What are you saying, Daniel?"

"Get help over here, Sam!" he yelled into the phone. "And please hurry!"

He dropped the phone as the door flew open with a bang. The last thing Daniel saw was Jack pulling a Zat gun and opening fire on him. An electric jolt ran through him. Then all went black.

* * *

Major Samantha Carter held her sidearm at the ready as she nudged the door of Daniel's apartment open wider. She was haunted by the memory of the last moments on the phone with him not more than fifteen minutes ago. She swore she'd heard a Zat discharge after Daniel had dropped the phone. Scuffling noises and low, unintelligible voices had filled the space for a few tense moments, until the connection had suddenly been severed.

She knew she should have called the SGC but given the confusing message Daniel had attempted to give her, she wasn't certain that was the best course of action. Neither was calling the Colorado Springs police department - in their line of work, the chances of something.otherworldly.happening was too high to risk exposure.

Daniel had told her something about O'Neill and Bridgman. Something she didn't understand. She would ask the colonel about that later. 

Something crunched under her feet, and she automatically looked down. A broken piece of clay pottery was lying on the floor, shattered into at least a dozen pieces. A terrible feeling started to make its way down her spine. She swallowed hard as she searched the room for clues.

"Daniel?" He could be hurt or something. 

It was weird also that the lights of the apartment were on. Daniel would never have left without closing and locking the door either. That phone call had been serious. But Colonel O'Neill?

"Daniel?" She called out again and started to check out every room, even the bedroom, but finding no one. Daniel was gone, but where in the world was he?

She picked up the phone from the floor of the study and started to dial Teal'c's number at the base. She needed help. 

There was no logical explanation for why the colonel would visit here in the middle of the night and take Daniel away. Of course Jack was Daniel's friend, but this was just too weird. Maybe something had happened to the both of them? Inexplicably, Daniel had said that Sergeant Bridgman had been there also. 

Okay. First things first. Teal'c. Telephone.

* * *

Jack looked at his alarm clock. 0730 and time to get up. He had lots of paperwork waiting for him at the base. He stared at the ceiling, thoughts rolling around his brain. 

He'd lain awake for at least an hour, worrying over yesterday's events. Okay, not yesterday's events - the downward spiral he and Daniel seemed to still be on. He should talk to his friend today. He needed to apologize again about Bridgman. Daniel seemed to like the guy, and Jack could always try and pretend. He shrugged. Yeah, right. Like that would fool Daniel for more than one minute.

After digging around in the computer's personnel files, Jack had come up with absolutely nothing on the guy. Apparently, the soldier was as good as the higher-ups claimed he was, and Jack had seen no indication that the sergeant had had anything to do with the strange hits on the Tollan information they had received. 

He felt foolish for making snap judgements, and swore he'd give Bridgman a chance from now on. A small one though, as he still didn't like the way the man was hanging around Daniel. 

With a loud sigh, he jumped up, landing near the bed and stretching. His knees gave him their usual morning protestations, yet another reminder of his ever-increasing age. A nice warm shower would do the trick. He was about to undress when his cell phone rang. 

'Not now.' Snagging it from his nightstand, he went on pulling off his t-shirt. "O'Neill."

"Sir?"

"Carter?" 

"Are you okay, sir?"

He tried to pull off his boxers with one hand and grinned. "When I've had my morning shower I will be, major."

It was quiet on the other end for a minute. "Carter?" Where had he left a clean towel? "What's going on? Couldn't this wait till I get on base?" He walked into the bathroom as he talked.

"You'd better get here to base fast, sir." 

"Sure. I was just on my way in." 

He turned on the water, and it sprayed all over him, almost causing him to drop the phone. "For crying out loud." Still muttering, he switched the phone to his other hand.

"Don't tell me the Asgard need me again, or the Tollan, or the Nox, because they can forget it. Well, okay, they don't have to forget it, but they can wait for me to take a shower, maybe go grab some breakfast."

"Sir," Carter impatiently interrupted his mini tirade. "Are you all right, sir?"

"Why shouldn't I be, Carter?" He sighed and tried to get a bar of soap from a nearby shelf. "Just trying to wake up, that's all."

"You slept well, sir?" 

"Yes, Carter. I did." God, what was this, twenty questions? He sighed deeply, still fooling around with the faucet to get the water up to a nice temperature. "Why don't you tell me what's going on and stop beating around the bush?"

Sam came straight to the point. "Daniel is missing, sir." 

"What?" Jack responded with disbelief, jumping like he had been hit by a bucket of cold water. No, that actually *was* cold water - he hadn't adjusted the water temperature very well after all. "Jeez." 

Daniel missing? What in the world was she telling him? Daniel had talked to him on the phone just last night, and now he was missing? 

"Did you see him during the night, sir?" Carter asked slowly, sounding strange, like she was hinting around about something.

"No, major." He winced as he twisted to grab a towel. "What are you trying to tell me? Daniel is missing? How?" 

There was a moment of complete silence. Jack got a terrible feeling that Daniel had had an accident or something. That didn't seem to make any sense, though. He had just been talking to him on the phone the evening before.

"Well, no one knows where he is, and I got a really strange phone call from him during the night. I'm with General Hammond right now. Should I tell him we can expect you right away?"

Jack was stunned. She'd gotten a phone call from Daniel last night? Jack wondered why Daniel hadn't called him instead. That didn't make any sense. Jack knew Daniel, and knew he would be the one on top of his list to call if Daniel ever felt he was in serious trouble. Even in spite of their recent estrangement, Jack thought that Daniel would always trust him. He felt like Carter was hiding something, not telling him everything. 

"Sir?"

"Still here, Carter." He swallowed hard. "I want to know what happened, from the top, slowly." 

There was a sigh on the other side of the line, and then Carter started telling him what had happened during the night.

* * *

A small, warm hand was put on his forehead, and Daniel winced. He felt sick. 

"Dr. Jackson?" The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He struggled to recall who it belonged to, giving up after his numb mind wouldn't release the information. 

Fuzzily, he thought there was something not right about where he was and who was speaking to him. What was the last thing he could remember? He crinkled his forehead in concentration.

He must have had a very bad dream in which Jack had shot him. No, that wasn't right. Jack would never shoot him, not even in his dreams. Would he? 

Daniel's muscles were stiff and sore, as though he'd over exercised or been shot with a Zat, just like in his dream. But, no. Jack would never have done that. So, why did he feel so sick? 

Opening his eyes, he looked straight into the concerned gaze of Doctor Janet Fraiser. He frowned up at the doctor, noting that somehow even her heart-shaped face seemed off. Or was it her hair color?

He was in the infirmary. Something *had* happened. But what? Everything looked familiar. He'd been there lots of times before. Too many times for his taste. Familiar, yet different. 

"How are you feeling, Dr. Jackson?" she kindly asked, hands reaching to check the monitors beeping around him.

'Dr. Jackson?' Janet never called him that anymore. Maybe she had been told by the general that it was appropriate to call him that on base? He looked up at her with watery eyes.

"What happened?" It was the only logical thing to ask.

"You've been hit by a Zat." 

'I know that.' He sighed instead of saying the thought out loud. Then he suddenly realised that his hands were restrained tightly, and he couldn't move. 'What the hell was going on?'

"Where am I?" The next logical question, but he didn't feel very comfortable anymore. In fact, he was developing a not so nice, stomach churning uneasiness.

"You are at the SGB, Dr. Jackson."

"SG. what?"

"Stargate Base." Another voice answered the question, and he recognized it immediately as Jack's. Turning his head, he found the colonel was standing next to his bed, looking at Janet. "He okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"Jack?" Daniel also now realised that Janet looked scared. He bit his lower lip at the oddness of that. *She* usually scared *Jack*.

"Colonel O'Neill to you, Jackson." The man looked self-satisfied. A real military guy with his hair much shorter than he remem--

Suddenly Daniel knew. This wasn't Jack. Well, it was in a way, but it wasn't *his* Jack. The feeling that he'd been through all of this before, that everything looked right but was wrong, suddenly crystallized in his mind's eye. People whom he thought he knew didn't know one thing about him. He must be in an Alternate Reality. It all made sense now. But how had he gotten there?

For a moment, he closed his eyes in distress, opening them again to stare at the 'other' colonel who hovered above the bed. "This is not my reality, is it?"

O'Neill frowned and then chuckled. "This one is quick isn't he?" he said sarcastically, his lips twisting into a sneer.

* * *

At the SGC, Jack wanted to run out of the elevator but managed to stay calm as the door opened. He walked quickly to the briefing room, where he found Carter, Teal'c and General Hammond silently awaiting him. All of them had serious and concerned looks on their faces.

"Colonel." Hammond looked up at him with a grim expression. 

"Sir."

"Thanks for coming in so quickly. Sit down, people." 

Jack was feeling really anxious and his nerves were playing shake, rattle and roll. Daniel was missing. He struggled to understand how this had happened, and who was responsible for it. And he had no doubt someone was accountable. People like Daniel normally didn't have any *time* to get lost. Well, not on this planet anyway. Daniel had a knack for 'not hearing' a direct order to stay put when off world, but he never strayed so far off he was out of sight of one of the team.

On the phone, Carter hadn't been able to tell him much of what they thought had happened. He'd skipped the rest of his shower, gotten dressed in a hurry and raced to the base at top speed. Getting a ticket for speeding hadn't even crossed his mind. All he had focused on was running through about a million worst-case scenarios. That and wishing Daniel hadn't brushed him off for dinner the night before. Maybe none of this would have happened if his friend had joined him as planned.

"SG-1." Hammond was trying to keep it simple. "The facts as we know them are unfortunately scant. Dr. Jackson made a phone call to Major Carter at 0300 last night. He told her that Colonel O'Neill and Sergeant Bridgman were at his apartment and wanted him to go somewhere with them. Is that correct, major?"

"Yes, sir." Sam stared at him with big eyes. "The connection was cut off abruptly after I heard other voices. I didn't think it advisable to contact the SGC, as personnel were implicated, nor the CSPD, so I went over there alone. His apartment was unsecured, and when I went inside, I found Daniel was gone."

"Maybe he went for a walk?" Jack mumbled. He was confused. He'd been in bed sleeping at 3AM. Could Daniel have mistaken someone else for him, because he'd just been roused from sleep himself? But Jack knew that Daniel wouldn't have let in a stranger.

Sam sighed. "No, sir. I found broken pieces of an antique clay pot on the floor. I can't see Daniel destroying something like that unless he had good reason."

"Maybe he tripped?" 

"But why did he call me?"

Jack stared at his 2IC, realising his questions might be interpreted as interrogatory. He had every faith she had performed properly, he just didn't want to admit that maybe something really, really bad had likely happened to Daniel. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he fought the urge to bang his forehead on the conference table.

"Until the circumstances were made clearer, we determined we should not contact you," Teal'c told Jack. "I, however, joined Major Carter at Daniel Jackson's home. I found markings of a Zat blast, O'Neill."

Teal'c's revelation shocked and bothered him. That they had had to doubt him, understandable though their reactions were, was troubling. He jerked his attention to the Jaffa. "What?"

"Daniel Jackson's phone and desk in his study room were hit by a Zat blast."

Hammond now looked at O'Neill for an explanation. Jack could see all of them staring at him. This didn't make any sense. His confusion was apparent even to him. Why did they all still look like he was a prime suspect? Daniel was his *friend*. He'd never willingly hurt him. Or kidnap him from his apartment in the middle of the night!

"I was at home, in bed, at the time Daniel called you, major." 

She raised her eyebrows.

"Really!" Jack waved his arm in a helpless gesture. 

"So, where the hell is Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked the question for everyone.

"I have no idea, sir." Carter answered with a grim expression.

"Oh," Jack murmured, still trying to think his way through all the possible reasons for Daniel's now certain disappearance.

"Colonel?" 

"Sorry, General. I was just thinking out loud." 

Jack turned to Teal'c. "Any idea who might wanna kidnap an archaeologist in the middle of the night?"

"Sergeant Bridgman, O'Neill." 

"He was there as well," Sam stated. "And all attempts to locate him have failed."

"Damn!" Jack rose, and started pacing the room. "I knew this guy was trouble."

Hammond waved at him. "Please sit down, Colonel."

O'Neill shot him a look but did sit down. "Didn't I say there was something not right about that guy? The only other person's file that's as clean as his is Maybourne, and he's the dirtiest officer I know. That should speak for something, eh?"

"Bridgman seems to have vanished from the face of the Earth, colonel." Hammond was grim. "Like Dr. Jackson."

"And apparently some other O'Neill," Teal'c stated in his deep, calm voice.

Sam nodded her head. She stared at them with her large blue eyes that were getting even bigger now. She was thinking of something. That was her 'I'm having an epiphany of sorts' look. Jack knew it well.

"Carter?" he impatiently prompted.

"Alternate reality."

"What?" he dumbly asked. He didn't want to hear it; they'd never yet had a good alternate reality encounter.

"That O'Neill must be from an alternate reality." Teal'c said.

"But how did they get here without anyone noticing?" Sam mused. "The NID still has our mirror locked up. And what do they want with Daniel?"

"Whoa, major." O'Neill felt a headache coming on. "Take it slow."

Carter looked at him and then at the general. "It does make sense, sir."

General Hammond nodded at her. "Work on it, major. It's the only thing we have to go on at the moment."

Everyone except Jack stood up. Frowning, he asked again, "What about Daniel?"

Sam smiled at him this time. "Don't worry. When we find out how they did it, we'll find Daniel." 

"Alternate reality, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let's get to work on it right away, major." 

"I want to check the tapes from the security cameras from Daniel's apartment building first. They should have caught something. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, sir. We'll at least be able to see if they hurt." She trailed off, looking at him bleakly.

O'Neill swallowed hard. They were really certain this guy came from another reality. He hated that. Hated the fact that another Jack could have been walking around scaring the shit out of Daniel. This was bad. 

Uselessly, he regretted again that he hadn't dragged Daniel off to dinner the night before. He should have. If they'd talked, maybe then none of this would have happened.

* * *

"Let me go home." Daniel pulled at his bonds. "Or at least tell me what the hell you want with me!"

He fought his growing panic. No one had told him anything, given him any explanation for his kidnapping, and he was getting scared. At least when he'd gone through the mirror on 233 Catherine had been there, asking him questions, not unkindly. Here, everyone was cold and distant. Hard. Especially this Jack. His behavior was so far removed from that of his friend, Daniel could hardly believe it.

"I'll be the one talking around here, Jackson," O'Neill told him in a hard voice. Dark, lifeless eyes accompanied the words, emphasizing the abnormality of his situation.

'Oh great.' this guy was used to people following his orders. But Daniel wouldn't let the colonel intimidate him like he'd obviously intimidated this Dr. Fraiser. Daniel knew his Jack very well, and maybe he'd find out that this guy wasn't all that different. He was a colonel in the Air Force, after all, and this base was at Cheyenne Mountain, just like the one at home. Only the name was slightly different. *Some* of the qualities that made Jack, *Jack*, had to be a common thread in every reality. He'd gotten through to the other one. Hopefully, he could do it again.

"Let me speak with the general." Daniel looked O'Neill straight in the eye. 

So fast Daniel didn't have time for one more thought, a hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, and he was being grasped in a choke hold around his neck. The colonel looked down at him with a grim expression that held no warmth. "You'll speak with me. *Only* with me. Now. Get it?" O'Neill's voice was soft, almost a whisper, dark and threatening.

Daniel gasped for air, the fist unrelenting at his throat. "Okay, Jack," he managed.

"Good." O'Neill didn't loosen his grip. "And it's colonel, to you."

"Sure." Daniel felt he had no other choice then to try to humor his captor. He could ask questions later. How the hell had he gotten there? Even more importantly, how the hell could he get back to his own reality? To his own Jack O'Neill. His friend. It suddenly hit him how much he wished that Jack, his own Jack, were there. 

What did they want from him? There were so many questions rolling around in his head. This O'Neill just stared at him like he was looking at a ghost, too long, too intensely. His expression sent a shiver down Daniel's spine.

With a jerk, O'Neill released his hold on Daniel's shirt and then indicated to the attendant to undo Daniel's restraints. That was a start.

When Daniel tried to sit up, the room was spinning. Quickly steadying himself, he decided it was not a good idea to show this Colonel O'Neill how ill he felt. The man was still staring at him, giving him the creeps.

"Why am I here?" he said in a defiant voice.

O'Neill stepped up to him and grabbed his shirt again, putting pressure on his windpipe. Daniel choked, automatically reaching to try and free himself. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he chided himself. What had he just been told? 

O'Neill hovered inches from his face and suddenly grinned at him, a feral, wolfish grin that gave Daniel the willies. Okay, so maybe there weren't any similarities between this Jack and his, beyond their looks. He saw no warmth or compassion in the coal-dark eyes boring into him.

O'Neill increased the pressure on Daniel's throat. Daniel was almost lifted off the bed and was gasping to get air, starting to panic. He wondered if maybe all they wanted was to just kill him. He fought desperately to get away. White spots darted before his eyes, and just before he thought he would pass out, he heard a faint voice nearby.

"Colonel O'Neill, let him go."

Suddenly released, Daniel fell off the bed and onto the hard floor, gasping and rubbing his throat as beautiful oxygen flooded his needy lungs. Looking up, he saw the familiar face of someone he really hated. Colonel Maybourne.

"Are you all right, Dr. Jackson?" Maybourne gave him a hand, and he was pulled up to sit on the bed again. "You must excuse the colonel. He's been through a rough time."

"How--" Daniel stared at the men in front of him. "How did I get here?" He flinched as O'Neill threateningly raised his hand as if to strike him.

Maybourne gave him a cold smile as he laid a restraining hand on O'Neill's arm. "You are at SGB. Stargate Base. I'm General Maybourne, and this is Colonel O'Neill."

"I-- I know that." Then he faltered. "Ge-general?" 

Maybourne had somehow made it to the rank of general? That had to be a bad sign. Any reality giving that man control over the stargate wasn't one he really wanted to be in. Daniel sneaked a look at O'Neill, finally seeing a likeness to his friend when he caught a disgusted look flicker across the colonel's face. Apparently he didn't have any more use for Maybourne than his Jack did.

"You have been brought to our reality to help us with a small problem," the general told him.

Daniel lifted his brows. Why not ask their own archaeologist? Hell, why not ask their Dr. Jackson? Maybe he hadn't joined the stargate project in this reality. It had happened before. But how did they know his name? How did they know him at all? Thinking suddenly of his so-called friend Colin Bridgman, he swallowed. That guy had sucked up to him for a reason. Then he'd betrayed him. But why?

Before he could stop himself, Daniel snarled at them, "I'm sure you have enough people in your reality to help you with your problem." 

Maybourne gave him a cold smile. "Indeed. We HAD a very capable man," he said, looking pointedly at the colonel.

O'Neill frowned and suddenly waved a hand in dismissal, like he hated where this conversation was going. "Let me tell him, general."

"Very well, Jack." Maybourne sighed. "Then show him what we need him to do." 

"Yes, sir." O'Neill gave Daniel an assessing look, challenge in his cold eyes.

* * *

Jack paced Sam's office as they had a look at the video footage from Daniel's apartment building. It had quickly become clear that Daniel had indeed been kidnapped by Colin Bridgman and another O'Neill. They had watched the images of the two 'strangers' half dragging and half marching a very limp Daniel right out his front door, down the elevator and out through the lobby.

"He looks kinda ugly," Jack growled, looking closely at his doppleganger's unshaven face.

The more Jack thought about another "him" out there terrorizing Daniel, the more upset he became. Even having experienced the alternate reality thing himself, he still didn't like to think about it. As far as he was concerned, only their own reality mattered, as Teal'c had once pointed out. And right now, getting Daniel back was of the utmost importance.

"Now we know for sure who's taken him," Carter said calmly, turning off the video recorder. "The problem is, how do we get him back?"

"How did they arrive in our reality, Major Carter?" Teal'c was sitting on a chair watching Jack pace up and down, slightly raising one eyebrow in a familiar gesture. 

"And why?" Jack interrupted before Sam could say a word. He had so many questions, he felt like his head was about to explode. He just wanted to get to Daniel, fast, and he had no idea how he was going to do that.

"Colonel, Major, Teal'c." General Hammond was standing in the doorway with a grim expression on his round face. "At ease."

"Sir?" O'Neill was standing still now.

"I've just been informed that our mirror was stolen from Area 51 over a month ago."

"Stolen, sir?" Carter asked, "How?"

"And why in hell are they just now telling us?" Jack was furious. A freaking transdimensional mirror had been stolen, and no one had thought to raise any alarms with them?

"People were killed, colonel." 

Hammond looked as angry as he felt, leading Jack to believe the general hadn't been given as much information as they needed, just like someone was covering up for a huge mistake or two. Goddamned bureaucracy.

Jack made an effort to calm down, trying to get some answers and not raise still more questions. "What about Sergeant Bridgman?"

"He must have been the one who stole the mirror." Sam stood up. "He came through the mirror, stole it and somehow got a job with this SGC. He got clearance somehow. Apparently, his double here is no longer here.or something. Bridgman was with us for a long time and didn't show any signs of entropic cascade. Either that, or he frequently returned to his own reality to avoid just that." 

"So, we'd better find our mirror." O'Neill wanted to punch something or someone, preferably Colin Bridgman, for being Daniel's so-called friend. The damned phony. All the while, he'd been trying to get information about their base and about them. Daniel's friend? *Jack* was Daniel's friend, and he was the one who needed to find that mirror.

"Sir?"

"Carter?"

"If we do find the mirror, we still don't have a remote control device. So we'll have no way to get to the reality where Daniel is, even if we knew which reality that was." She sighed.

She was stating a fact. She was right. God, she was right. Somehow Daniel had to find his own way back. There was nothing Jack could do, was there? He searched his mind, not ready to give up yet. There had to be something, anything. No way would he accept the fact that he was helpless, that they were all helpless. 

"We could find the mirror first, and hope it has not been turned off," Teal'c said hopefully. "It may yet be set onto the alternate reality housing Daniel Jackson." 

It was like Teal'c had been reading Jack's mind. Find the mirror and post a guard there. Maybe somehow people would come through again. There was a chance of that. Not much, but maybe it was something to go on. 

Jack looked at General Hammond. "Permission to go out and search for our mirror, sir!"

"Where do you want to start, colonel?" 

"Area 51, sir." Jack was already on his way to the door. "Maybe you can try and pull some strings for us, General." 

"I'll damn well do my best, colonel."

* * *

Daniel was pushed into an office that looked almost exactly like his own office at the SGC, with all his books, artefacts and papers. It was pretty much just like he'd left it. Except this wasn't the SGC, so there had to be another Daniel around.

"My office," he stated while O'Neill turned on the light and closed the door behind them.

"Looks that way." O'Neill was walking towards a table and tapped on the device lying there. It looked like a small rocket with an inscription all over the side of it. 

With pursed lips, Daniel moved closer. The words became clearer, and Daniel was stunned to see it was Tollan. God, Colin had been helping him with his Tollan translations, probably only to help with this.

Before he could make the accusation, the door swung open, and Colin Bridgman walked in. Speak of the devil.

"Daniel, nice to see you're okay."

He couldn't tell if the soldier's words held any sincerity, but he was willing to bet against it. "What's going on here, Colin?"

Colin only smiled and wrapped his arm around Daniel's shoulder, making Daniel want to pull away from him. He had thought the man was his friend. How wrong he'd been. It was giving him the creeps, and it also made him angry at himself for having ever trusted the guy. 

Colin walked him closer to the table and pointed at the device O'Neill was still tapping. "What do you think this is, Daniel?"

The question seemed innocent enough, but he'd been fooled by the sergeant for weeks. Daniel swallowed, feeling very uneasy. He wasn't about to answer any of their questions. He knew this was Tollan, and it looked like a weapon of some sort. Back home, the Tollan would never give them weaponry, and he doubted they would in this world either. And if for some reason they had, they'd have given instructions as well. 

Pulling away from Colin, Daniel staggered back towards the door. "That's why you needed all the information you were asking for the last two weeks? Jack was right about not trusting you." He pointed at Colin. "I trusted you. I thought you were my friend."

"We just want you to translate the device, Danny." Colin was not coming any closer, but he was waving one hand "I know you know what it is."

"No!" Daniel was still feeling very angry, but now it was aimed at the soldiers staring at him. What gave these guys the right to kidnap him, only to have him work on some Tollan weapon they had probably stolen? No way he was going to help them. "You stole this, and I won't have any part of it."

O'Neill moved away from the object, glaring at him. He walked a few steps and stood between him and Colin, hands on his hips. Daniel didn't move, hoping his uneasiness was disguised by his anger.

"You think you know it all, don't you, Jackson."

"Excuse me?" 

"We need this device. I know it's a weapon we can use against the Goa'uld. Now, I know in your reality, you are also enemies of those snakeheads, so I don't see why you can't give us your full cooperation," O'Neill wheedled in a phoney voice.

"Because you had to have stolen this, and then you kidnapped me," he yelled, exasperated at O'Neill's feigned pleasantry. 

At his refusal, the soldier's face turned into an ugly mask.

"We need to steal, Daniel, to survive," Colin said from his position behind O'Neill, eyes furtively darting between him and the colonel.

"No, you need alliances like we have." Daniel answered. "I don't understand why you needed to go so far out of your way to grab me. Where's the linguist who belongs in this office? Where is your Daniel Jackson?" As he spoke, he took several tentative steps toward the door. 

O'Neill roughly snatched him, shoving him hard against the wall. Pinned, he helplessly watched Bridgman leave him alone with the irate soldier. He turned back to look into the cold eyes, more afraid than ever of what he would see.

"Our linguist is dead, Jackson!"

"D. Dead?" Daniel stared at the office again. This *was* his office. He suddenly felt nauseous. Daniel, this reality's Daniel, was dead? He swallowed and stared up at O'Neill. "Wha. what happened to him?"

"Accident!" was the remark almost whispered into his ear. "Didn't wanna come out and play." A hand lightly traced his thigh, then he was abruptly released. 

Now Daniel really was getting sick. The notebooks lying open on the other Daniel's desk showed handwriting identical to his own. Their Daniel had been working on that Tollan device? No way. Daniel would never work on a weapon; not when it would do the world more harm than good. This was all so surreal, his head started swimming, and he felt feverish.

O'Neill was staring intently at him again, a smile on his lips. This man had to be the one who was responsible. The way he had just touched Daniel made him feel even sicker. 

Nausea burbled, and before Daniel could stop himself, he was heaving and losing the meager contents of his stomach on the office floor.

* * *

Colin Bridgman sat in the briefing room, fingers nervously twining and untwining, when Colonel O'Neill, General Maybourne, and Dr. Fraiser finally came in. He knew he had done his job well. He had collected Dr. Jackson as he had been instructed, but he felt no satisfaction in his success. He only felt guilty.

"Gentlemen, Doctor." Maybourne was smirking in such a way to make Colin feel like he was nothing more to the base commander than gum, or something worse, stuck on the bottom of his shoe. 

Colin had begun to enjoy himself in that other reality. After the shock of seeing O'Neill swiftly and brutally kill the guards working at Area 51 in the other reality had subsided, he had been able to relax a little, comfortable knowing he could never kill so readily. 

He knew that O'Neill was acting for the good of their world, and that sometimes in their struggle against the Goa'uld, there was no other choice but to kill. The mission to kidnap Daniel Jackson had seemed to leave him with no choices as well. They'd needed a new linguist that could read Tollan, and they knew there was only one. Daniel.

Their Daniel had never been willing to give in to the colonel. He'd fought against him, even though the soldier had always reciprocated with abuse. Colin honestly wasn't sure why O'Neill had even allowed Daniel on SG-1, as he had never cut the guy any slack. He'd seemed to hate him down to the very core of his being just for existing. 

In some sick way, Colin thought perhaps the colonel had kept Daniel around to use as stress relief. Being on SG-1 with O'Neill, Daniel and Major Johnson, Colin had learned how to follow orders, something their Daniel had never learned. Because of it, O'Neill had taken out his pent up frustrations on him.

Now, their Daniel was dead. He'd had an accident on the stairs near the general's office. O'Neill had been there, and had told everyone it had just been a stupid accident. Colin hadn't had the time to think anything more about it or question the event, because Daniel hadn't been dead for more than a day before General Maybourne had come up with the plan to get someone else for the translation of that Tollan device. 

At the time, it had seemed like a good plan. They had a mirror and a controller, and they would just pick out another reality where there would be another Dr. Jackson. It had taken some investigation, but it had worked out just fine. 

They had to have new weapons to fight the Goa'uld, or they'd be wiped out. Colin kept telling himself that their Daniel would have wanted it. He would have understood. 

While infiltrating the other SG base, he'd reported back to General Maybourne often, not only to get information to them and to plan what they wanted to do, but also to avoid any entropic cascade. O'Neill had come through the mirror with him to keep an eye on things and get supplies. He'd found out that that reality's Colin Bridgman wasn't working in the military, so there was no problem there. No problems at all. It had seemed almost too easy.

Now, Colin wasn't so sure anymore. He had talked a lot with this Daniel over the past few weeks, while roaming the other SG base, and found out what motivated him and the others. They were allies with the Tollan, the Asgard, and the Nox, and somehow they were part of a treaty that protected Earth against the Goa'uld, something that was only a dream to Colin. The more time he'd spent there, the more he'd believed their way was better. 

He had started to like this Daniel, and now he was seeing the same pattern of abuse developing that had happened before to his dead friend. God, he had been a fool for thinking this would work. This Daniel was just as unwilling to help them translate that weapon as theirs had been. O'Neill was getting more angry by the hour and looked like he really wanted to hurt Jackson severely. Colin knew he wouldn't hesitate to use force to get the information they needed to survive against the snakeheads, as the colonel called them.

There were only a few people on base Colin felt comfortable talking with, Dr. Samantha Carter being at the top of the list. When he'd told her of his concern that O'Neill might have killed Daniel, and of the mission to find an alternate version of the archaeologist, she had told him they really needed new technology, but that he should do what his heart was telling him. He'd thought perhaps his heart was telling him this was not right.

"Sir, I just placed Dr. Jackson back in the infirmary." Janet Fraiser looked at Maybourne, almost waving her notes in his face. Colin thought she was one hell of a lady. She wasn't intimidated by the general, though sometimes she looked scared of O'Neill. Colin frowned at her agitation. 

Colin's own apprehension with the situation increased. The colonel hadn't hurt Jackson enough to cause him to be confined to the infirmary, had he? Colin had left Daniel with the colonel in their Daniel's office. Had O'Neill hurt the other man in a way he didn't even want to think about?

"Why is he in the infirmary?" Maybourne lost the smirk on his face.

"He was dehydrated and had a temperature. I'm not certain what's causing it. Perhaps exposure to cold so soon after a Zat blast. He was only wearing street clothes when they brought him here," she told him. "I'll keep an eye on him for now."

"How long will he be in the infirmary?" O'Neill demanded.

"Two days, at the least, colonel." 

"No good." He glared at her, and she looked away.

"You get to keep him for one day, Doctor," Maybourne told her firmly. "Then I want him available to work on the translation."

"He's already not too keen on that, sir," Colin stated quickly.

"We didn't ask for his opinion," Maybourne spat. "He translates, and then he can go back to where he came from."

"What if he keeps refusing to cooperate?" O'Neill asked.

Maybourne was standing up now. "Do whatever it takes, colonel." 

"Yes, sir!" O'Neill looked very satisfied with that reply.

Colin felt cold. This was not good, and he was frightened for Daniel.

* * *

Sam, Jack and Teal'c had started their investigation at Area 51, which had proven a dead end. What few answers they got were useless in the search for Daniel. Two men had come through the mirror, swiftly eliminated the guards, and then had made off with the device somehow. So far, the NID had not been able to track it down.

Hammond had called the Colorado Springs Police Department and had asked them to canvas the streets for information regarding Bridgman, O'Neill and Daniel. No tips given had come close to what they needed. The O'Neill reported sightings all lead back to the real Jack.

There had been an interesting phone call, though. A man had reported that he'd taken orders for food and clothing supplies, which he had shipped to an address that hadn't been an address at all. 

Now the team was standing in a nondescript street, staring at a small, run down house. Jack wondered if the man who had made the call would really know something they could use to find the mirror.

A dishevelled little rat-faced man answered their knock and stared curiously at them. "You're from the mountain?" the man asked with a squeaky voice. He looked frightened.

"Yes," Sam answered. 

The man stood aside to let them in. 

The smell inside the house was like a dump, and Carter scrunched up her nose in disgust. 

"I will stand guard outside, O'Neill, "Teal'c offered, probably offended by the odor. 

Jack nodded in agreement, taking pity on Teal'c. He knew the Jaffa would have smelled the stench from miles away.

"You have a twin brother?" the man asked, staring at Jack. 

Jack flinched at the unexpected question. Now he knew for certain that this man had seen him, the other him, before. Jack knew he had never met him before.

"You met a guy who looked just like the colonel?" Carter asked, getting right to the bottom of things.

"Oh, yes." The man nodded. "I saw him many times when I delivered supplies to him and his friend." 

"Supplies? Where?" Jack now knew this man wasn't just telling them a tale, and this story was getting more interesting by the minute. This could be their lead to the mirror and Daniel.

"In the mountains." The man started going through an old cabinet and some drawers that were full of junk. All kinds of stuff went flying through the air until suddenly the little guy smiled, triumphantly holding up a smudgy piece of paper that looked like a map.

"I delivered to him!" He pointed at Jack and again the colonel felt weird. It was eerie to know that there had been two O'Neill's walking around in this reality at the same time. 

This man was telling the truth, and Jack knew it. "This is a map?" he asked, feeling the urge to grab the piece of paper out of the other man's hand.

"A map, yes," the man squeaked again, triumph in his voice. "You need to know the way to the cave where I delivered my goods, yes?"

"Yes!" Jack sighed. He pulled out his wallet before the man could say another word. "How much for the map?"

"Sir?" Carter stared at him.

"He wants money, Carter." He held out five twenties, and the man grinned at him, reaching out for the cash. Jack didn't care about the money. It was worth any price to find Daniel. "And we've got to find that mirror."

* * *

The little man had told them about the caves in the mountains to which the deliveries were made, and finally gave them the map to the specific location of the weekly drop-offs, warning them about the odd behavior of the men. 

"Damn it, it's cold." Jack pulled his white parka closer around himself and looked up at the small hill they were climbing. 

They could see clear tracks now, probably made by a snowmobile used to drop off the deliveries. Daniel's captors would also have had to use something like that to transport the mirror in these mountains. It was easy to follow the trail, although the tracks were starting to fill with new snow. 

"You don't like snow, do you, sir?" Carter smiled at him while she used her binoculars to scan the area. 

"Oh, I don't mind snow, Carter." He sniffed. "Snow is okay as long as the sun is shining. No sun now."

"The caves are this way, O'Neill." Teal'c, his face barely visible because he had the hood of his coat pulled up over his head, pointed towards the tracks left in the snow. "We can find them without the map."

"Figures." O'Neill was restless. This search was eating away at him. He tried to concentrate on finding that mirror without thinking what could be happening to Daniel right now. The more he learned about his alternate self, the less he liked the guy. He certainly didn't trust him with his friend. He already dreaded what they might find when they located the mirror, and the waiting was killing him.

"Let's go, kids." Jack started trudging up the hill, his boots getting bogged down in the deep snow, even with the snowshoes he wore. Better to walk on the tracks visible right ahead. He figured this could be a very long hike, and he wished they'd been able to take snowmobiles too. Still, they didn't want to attract any attention with the noisy machines, so walking it was. He cursed this decision. 

Jack knew he was leading this search on an emotional level, and he had to try to shut it down before it overwhelmed him and his normal, rational thoughts. He'd always cared about Daniel, but these emotions almost seemed to tell him he cared more about his friend than he wanted to admit. Much more. 

They would find the caves, and the mirror, and then there had to be a way to rescue Daniel.

* * *

Daniel stared at the tiled ceiling, counting the little holes and trying not to think too much. Dr. Fraiser had given him something for the persistent nausea he was experiencing. He wondered if they had given him something in the first place to force him to cooperate, and that was what had made him ill. He was once again in restraints and hooked up to an IV that was itching annoyingly.

The doctor had told him all would be well and that she really hated what they were doing. He could sense her fear. But she'd told him she would help him in any way she could, even though guards were everywhere, even in the infirmary. She told him about the mirror they had stolen in the other reality, his reality, and about the accident that had killed her Daniel.

Daniel knew it wouldn't be long before O'Neill returned to question him. That thought really scared him, and he wondered what his team, his Jack, were doing at the moment. He knew there was no way they could get him back without a controller. They didn't have a controller, and had never had one, which had never bothered him before. As far as Daniel was concerned, alternate realities were better left alone. This one was certainly living up to that belief.

He had to find his way back on his own, but first he needed to get out of the infirmary. Daniel tugged at his bindings. He hoped this Janet would help him. From what he could tell, there was no Teal'c on this base. They'd never met the Jaffa. He had heard Janet and Colin talking about a Dr. Carter. Sam. If he could just see her, he knew she'd help him. He had to hold on to the tiny thread of hope that he could make it back home.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice O'Neill come walking through the door until he was at his bedside. The hardened soldier had a slight smile on his face and his eyes were very dark. Daniel sighed, knowing he was in trouble again. He could do this. Talk to the man. Maybe he would listen.

"You're being transferred, Jackson."

"What are you doing, colonel?" Dr. Fraiser's alarmed voice called as she approached them. Daniel suddenly noticed just how tiny she was, standing next to the tall colonel. " General Maybourne said he could stay one day."

"The general also said I could get the information I need by any means necessary." O'Neill gave her a very cold stare, and she looked like she was faltering.

"He needs rest."

"He can rest in a holding cell!" 

Daniel could see she was about to give up. She was too scared of the man, and he couldn't blame her. He was scared of him too, having a hard time not flinching every time this Jack stared at him. His eyes were so cold, so distant, much worse than any Jack he'd ever known.

O'Neill wasn't waiting for any more arguments. Daniel was briskly unlocked and pulled out of bed with a firm grasp. Feeling very dizzy all of a sudden, he almost fell. 

"Careful, colonel," Fraiser warned.

"We don't want him to escape now, do we, Doctor?"

* * *

"O'Neill." 

Jack looked up through the snow at Teal'c, who was waving at them. They had walked for what seemed like hours, and his legs were freezing and getting numb. He knew they were going in the right direction, since they were still following the tracks, which were still visible in front of them. He was glad they were, because the map the guy in town had given them was old and very smudgy, smeared with coffee and food stains. He was starting to question their source's reliability.

Teal'c was standing near a high rock wall. It looked like the wall marked on the map, and like the one their informant had described. This had to be it. Jack was hopeful that they now were getting close. He wondered how Colin Bridgman could have found out about such a desolate place so far up into in the mountains. 

Or maybe it had been the other O'Neill's idea to hide the mirror up there. Jack wondered what kind of man his doppelganger was. He hoped that Daniel would be able to get through to the guy, the way he had been getting through to him in the last years. Daniel had showed him plenty of reasons to go on living, for which Jack was grateful. 

Shaking his head, he wondered why he automatically assumed the alternate him was somehow bad. So he had *appeared* not so nice, and had been described as 'mean'. That could just be a misunderstanding. God, he was deluding himself, and he knew it.

"Follow me," Jack told Sam and Teal'c. Though it had stopped snowing, it was getting dark, and he hoped they would find a cave entrance before night overtook them. He checked his flashlight and started moving along the wall. 

Snow trickled down from the top of the wall as they pushed themselves back against it. This was not going to be easy. He peered up at the mass of snow perched right on the top edge of the wall.

"Keep an eye out for falling rocks," he cautioned, turning back to eye Carter behind him. "We don't want to be buried under tons of snow either."

A very distinctive rumbling started just as the words left his mouth, and he instinctively pulled the major toward him. Teal'c's strong hands dragged him forward, making him fall onto his back with Carter on top of him. Exactly where they'd been standing, a huge avalanche of snow came to rest. It would have buried them if they hadn't moved so fast.

"That was close," he breathed.

"Not funny." She stared up at Teal'c and swallowed.

Teal'c walked past them all of a sudden, and Jack saw him disappear behind a corner.

"Teal'c, wait." He pushed at Carter, who awkwardly rolled off him and stumbled to her feet. Tired from the trek, Jack motioned for her to help him up. Hey, he wasn't too proud to ask. 

Carter smiled and offered him a hand.

"Thanks," he grunted, brushing snow off his butt.

"O'Neill, I believe I have found an entrance."

Jack went around the corner with Sam close behind. He saw the dark opening and trained his flashlight on it. He started getting excited and turned to Teal'c and Sam.

"This must be it," he said in a quiet voice. "Let's go in."

It was a very large cave, with a small tunnel leading through to another chamber. There was dampness in the air, but it was well protected from the elements outside. No evidence of animal habitation was obvious, effectively eliminating that threat. 

The snowmobile tracks had led directly to this cave, so Jack was cautiously optimistic that this was where Daniel had been taken. He popped his head inside the small tunnel, and shone his flashlight down the short passageway. He breath caught in his throat as his light beams caught something on the ground. 

"Sir?" Carter poked her head around him, trying to look over his shoulder.

Crouching down, Jack picked up the object and clenched his jaw as he showed his teammates. Now there was no question that they had found the right place. Jack's stomach twisted as he fingered the item.

It was the watch he had given to Daniel on his last birthday.

* * *

"This is a new Goa'uld device we got our hands on a while ago."

In the holding cell, O'Neill stood before Daniel, nonchalantly playing with a small round instrument in his hands. "We call it The Persuader. Don't know the snake name for the thing," O'Neill said with a grimace that was supposed to be a smile. His eyes glittered dangerously.

Daniel still had a theory about the 'accidental' death of his counterpart, and this cold, calculating O'Neill had been a key player in it, of that he had no doubt. If the eerily dead look in the colonel's eyes spoke for his soul, Daniel was certain it was at the very least possible. This man even seemed to get off on causing pain and suffering, and that part scared Daniel more than he was willing to admit. He still couldn't believe that Jack, any Jack, could sink this low. 

"You're going to help us translate the Tollan weapon device," O'Neill informed him in a low voice.

"No, I'm not." If there was anything Daniel was sure of, it was that he would never help him or any of them in their little translation project. 

He did sympathize with them somewhat, since he'd been told that the Asgard treaty had never occurred in this universe, leaving their world more open to Goa'uld attack. But with Maybourne in charge, he couldn't in good conscience help them access technology otherwise beyond their reach. He couldn't condone stealing from other races. Ever.

"One last chance," O'Neill said softly, taking another step towards him. "I can assure you, you really don't want to feel what this thing can do."

Daniel looked around. They were alone in the holding cell. No guards, no one holding him down. Just the man who looked so much like Jack but who was so different under his skin. Maybe he had a chance of getting away. O'Neill had left the door unlocked, certain that Daniel wouldn't try anything. Too confident, perhaps? 

Without thinking, Daniel threw himself headlong at O'Neill. For a second, it worked. O'Neill was taken by surprise and with a grunt he lost his balance, landing hard on his ass, the device falling out of his hands and skittering across the floor. But before Daniel could get past him to the door, O'Neill leaped to his feet, turning around in one fluid movement and tackling Daniel's legs.

Daniel crashed head first onto the hard concrete floor, all of the air whooshing out of his lungs, his forehead thumping hard on the floor. Consciousness fading, he fought to stay awake. He had to get away. Had to-- Before he could even move again, he was flipped over on his back. 

O'Neill straddled him and grabbed his hands, binding them together with duct tape. 

Where had he gotten the damned tape? Daniel's brain struggled to keep up with what was happening, but he was still in shock from the fall. He tried to wriggle his way out from under the man, who was starting to get heavy. Daniel concentrated on breathing, which was getting harder by the minute.

O'Neill cuffed him on the side of his head, a clear warning to lie still. 

It made Daniel see stars again. He blinked as tears came to his eyes, and he stared up at the cruel face hovering over his.

"You WILL help us, Jackson," O'Neill said in a grim voice. "And you won't try and get away again, or you'll regret it."

O'Neill slipped a hand down between their bodies and fondled Daniel's crotch with an iron grip. "You know what happens to people who don't wanna come out and play, Jackson. I told you before. And there's plenty more of this anytime I want to give it to you." He leered at Daniel.

With a hiss of fear and frustration, Daniel renewed his struggle to get out from under O'Neill, but he had no strength at all, it seemed. Somehow, he needed to get away from this nightmare in which he was caught. "God damned bastard," he spit out. "Let me up!"

"You'll help us?" The hand continued to fondle his cock, which remained limp, as terrified as the rest of Daniel.

"No! Drop DEAD."

"Now, now. That's not nice. You WILL-- "

"NO!"

The last refusal got O'Neill to remove his hand from his crotch, but unfortunately he used it to make a fist and punch Daniel in the face again.

Daniel saw stars, his head spinning. He distantly wondered if his jaw were broken. Alarm bells went off in his brain, and instinctively he tried to break away, pulling his wrists apart. The tape cut painfully into his skin as he writhed to escape. 

O'Neill punched him twice more, snapping his head brutally to the side as his fists impacted Daniel's face.

"No," Daniel whispered, still stubbornly refusing to help O'Neill, but barely able to even get the one word out. He could taste blood in his mouth and one of his eyes was swelling shut.

O'Neill was fumbling under his tee shirt, pressing something icy cold to Daniel's chest. O'Neill's voice taunted him, seemingly from far away. Daniel's ears were ringing, buzzing louder and louder.

Then suddenly those sensations receded, replaced by what felt like a high-energy electrical current running from the metal device on his chest throughout his whole body. Daniel felt like he was being torn in half, and his back arched in protest, trying to get away from the pain. He screamed in agony, but O'Neill smothered his cry with one hand over his mouth. Daniel couldn't breathe, couldn't move, while white-hot flares pulsed through him. 

Still desperately holding on to consciousness, the torture suddenly stopped, leaving Daniel bathed in sweat, gulping air through the rough hand clamped on his mouth. His eyes were screwed shut.

"Works just peachy, doesn't it, Jackson?" O'Neill was breathing in his face. "Still sure you don't wanna help us?" 

With one last rebellious attempt to defy O'Neill, Daniel bit the man's hand as hard as he could.

"Fuck! You bastard!" O'Neill cursed. He slapped Daniel hard across the face and then wiped his bloody hand on Daniel's shirt. He made no move to get off his prisoner.

"Time's up, you fucking geek. I'll take that as a yes to more persuasion." 

And then it started all over again.

* * *

Colin paced up and down the hall. He had been standing outside the holding cell for over an hour now, not allowed to go in. O'Neill had been explicit about that.

He didn't even want to know what was happening in there. The colonel had that crazy look in his eyes again, and he knew Daniel was in more than a little trouble. Colin had just nervously reverted to his old childhood habit of biting his nails when he heard the half-smothered cries coming out of the cell. He knew he had to do something. This was insane. 

Why was he letting this happen to a man that he liked? A man who had showed him everything and trusted him. He couldn't stand by and let this happen to another Daniel. Colin swallowed hard and without further hesitation and summing up all his courage, he knocked on the cell door. 

A couple of moments later, the door jerked open, and O'Neill stood there glaring at him. Colin tried not to look him in the eye. He made an effort to look around O'Neill, to get a glimpse of his unfortunate victim. It was too dark in the cell, and after the brightness of the hallway behind him, Colin couldn't see properly. 

O'Neill gave him a shove. "Get away from here, Bridgman!" 

"The general is asking for you, sir." It was a damned lie, but he'd say anything to cool the colonel down and get him away from his prisoner. Colin was shaking inside while O'Neill scanned his face and grumbled at him.

"Keep an eye on Jackson," O'Neill ordered. He spun on his heel and took off up the corridor.

Colin let out a sigh and shivered slightly. He then turned on the lights inside the cell and slowly, carefully walked in. 

Anxiously scanning around, he finally saw Daniel lying on the floor against a wall in the far corner of the room. His head was lolling to one side, his face a mass of purpling bruises, and his hands were taped together in front of him. He moaned softly, wheezing like he couldn't breathe very well. Colin's heart was in his throat as he took in the sight of the archaeologist's still form. He looked too much like his own Daniel had. 

Colin wanted to help him, and reassure him that he wouldn't let this happen again, but he couldn't seem to move. He stood frozen, rooted to the spot, staring at Daniel.

"Sergeant." The sudden voice behind him made him jump. Dr. Fraiser brushed by him, running over to the fallen man. "Get over here. I need your help." She got down on her knees next to Daniel and glanced back at Colin imploringly. 

With gentle hands, she turned Daniel's face to examine him. The archaeologist looked very pale and tears were running down his bruised cheeks. His eyes were almost swollen shut, and he didn't seem to see who was taking care of him. He cried out and pushed Fraiser away when she tried to get his hands loose.

"Easy, Daniel. It's all right. It's me. Janet." 

She turned again to give Colin a hard stare. "Well? Sergeant. Get your butt over here and help me. That's an order, mister." 

Colin broke from his daze and slowly made his way to her side. He knelt down and pulled Daniel into his arms, holding him upright as Janet tore the duct tape off his wrists. Colin felt Daniel trembling, weak breaths puffing against his face.

"Colin? Help me. Please." It was only a whisper, but Colin could hear the desperation in the other man's voice as Daniel tried to look into his face. 

Fraiser must have heard it as well, as she muttered in disgust, "This is inhumane." 

Colin looked at her. "Yes, it is."

"Then why aren't you stopping it?" Frasier's accusation was sharper than a knife.

"I--" He was feeling himself blush and swallowed. "I'm--"

"Just following orders, right?" She spit the words at him, furious with the lot of them.

He couldn't even blame her; she was right. He had learned to follow orders and not ask questions. Not like both Daniels, who were courageous, braver that Colin had ever been. Looking down into the pale face of both his old and new friend, he knew he was a coward. 

"Then I guess it's up to me, right?" She was still looking at him.

Colin was flooded with guilt. He was too afraid of O'Neill and Maybourne, and her putting him on the spot didn't help. He couldn't look at her or Daniel as he laid Daniel back on the floor and stood up to hurriedly leave the room. He closed the door behind himself, as if to lock his cowardice away.

* * *

"Samantha?" 

At her name, she looked up from her computer screen to see Colin walk in. He looked pale and worried, an expression she was getting used to seeing on his face. Before Daniel's death, he had been self-assured and strong. Whatever was making him look this way again must have something to do with this other Daniel they had brought in. She couldn't think of another reason. 

She hadn't really wanted to know about their plans of going to an alternate reality, and she hadn't been asked to help, thank God. General Maybourne didn't like her or Dr. Fraiser. Intelligent women seemed to intimidate him.

When Colin had returned from the other universe the first time, he'd been somehow different. He had told her about his experiences there, and it had been fascinating. He really liked the Daniel he'd found there. Now he seemed to be worried about him.

"Are you all right?" She offered him a seat and gave him a glass of water. 

He took a few sips, his eyes on the floor, trying to avoid her curious stare. "I have to help him, Sam. They're hurting him. It's all my fault, and I need to get him back to his own reality. I feel like such a coward to have let this happen, I'm--" 

"Hey." She took his hands and made him look at her. "They're the ones hurting Daniel, not you. And you're having second thoughts about General Maybourne's plan, right?"

"Yes!" He swallowed, staring at her with horror-filled eyes. "And I'm just letting them." He frowned, and she could see he was trying to get his feelings back under control. "They promised me that he wouldn't be hurt!"

"And you believed them." Sam felt a pang of sympathy for her friend's surprising naiveté. She smiled reassuringly. Their Daniel had been her friend, too. It was about time she stopped sitting on her hands and did something about what was going on. "Then we need to make a plan to help him, don't we?"

"How? What can we do?" 

Sam looked into Colin's wounded puppy dog eyes. She bit her lip, her mind searching for viable options. Maybe they could try to contact friends of Daniel's from the other reality?

* * *

"Daniel, wake up! You need to stand up and help me. I can't carry you," Fraiser urged him. Her voice was trembling, betraying her nervousness. She couldn't lift the young man all by herself. What had she been thinking? She should have asked somebody to help her get him out of there. 

The minute they walked through the corridors, or rather, she walked and Daniel stumbled, leaning heavily on her shoulder, she knew they would need a lot of luck to make it out, and fast. She had no clearance to walk around with a prisoner in the middle of the night. Hoping she wouldn't run into anyone, she kept urging her charge to walk faster.

She had lost one Daniel Jackson and was damned if it was going to happen again. He needed to get back home before Colonel O'Neill hurt him so badly he was damaged beyond repair or even killed him. It was her duty to save lives, not to help destroy them. 

Daniel groaned as he tried to keep his legs underneath him. He still looked ghostly pale and very ill. Janet didn't want to think about what O'Neill had done to him even though it might have helped her treat him. She made an effort to shut down her feelings, for Daniel's sake, to get him back to his world as soon as possible. 

Holding him up with all her strength, she marched both of them into one of the elevators going up to the surface. So far, so good. 

She tried to lower Daniel to the floor, and he ended up just collapsing in a heap at her feet, still moaning softly and holding on to his stomach. Sweat was dripping off him, and she was worried he might be feverish again. She scowled in frustration at having no time to do a real examination.

When the elevator came to a halt, she knew the security guards would question what she was doing with Daniel. She had to talk her way around it somehow. She had thought of a good way for them to get out, only praying it would work. 

The doors slid open, and she walked outside with as confident a face as she could muster.

"Dr. Fraiser," the security guard greeted her with a smile. She knew he liked her, and warmly smiled back at him.

"Could you help me, Howard?" She turned to the elevator and indicated Daniel, still curled on the floor. "I need to get him to the military hospital. General Maybourne's orders." 

He peered inside with a frown. "Are you sure about this, Doc?"

"Oh, yes, I am." She gave him no time to think it through, forcing herself to remain calm, sure that he was seeing right through her story. She'd expected that. "I would appreciate you helping me get him into my car." 

The guard deliberated for a moment, frowning as his eyes took in Daniel's collapsed state, battered face and raw, reddened wrists. Then he smiled easily and said, "Sure."

Howard lifted Daniel, holding him around the waist. Janet could see how pale Daniel was as he moaned and sagged against the big guard. 

She checked the mirror controller in her inner pocket. It had taken a lot of guts to steal it out of O'Neill's office, but she needed it to get Daniel back to his reality as soon as possible. She knew O'Neill had moved the mirror from the base to a warehouse downtown, God only knew why. The colonel was getting more and more paranoid with each passing day. She shuddered, thinking about him, and how there'd be hell to pay when he found the controller and his prisoner gone.

It was dark and cold in the parking lot, the wind instantly chilling her. She looked around, trying to remember where she had parked her car earlier. Howard trailed behind, struggling with Daniel's limp weight. He stared blankly at her for a moment. "You need to find the car, Doc?"

"Yes." She was way too nervous. "Just trying to remember where I parked the thing."

Her keys jangled in her quivering hands as she finally remembered where it was. Turning to Howard, she squinted when a sudden bright light shined right onto the three of them. She swore under her breath, shoulders slumping as she stood frozen to the spot. Failure slapped her in the face in the form of the voice yelling at them from behind.

"Lieutenant Bell. Stay right where you are with that prisoner, or we will open fire," Colonel O'Neill angrily boomed. "Drop him."

Janet wasn't the only one in the mountain to be intimidated by the colonel. Howard automatically let go of Daniel, who fell whimpering to the ground. She was at Daniel's side in just a second, as people ran towards them from all parts of the parking lot

"I'm sorry, Howard." She looked up at the guard.

He swallowed. "Me too, Doc."

* * *

"I hate this."

Jack sighed and looked at the freaking dark mirror they had found in the cave, hoping it would suddenly burst into life. They had been there for three hours, and he felt so helpless, unable to do anything more than hope and wait. How long were they planning on sitting here, looking for a sign that probably wouldn't come?

He just wanted to touch that damn mirror, to go through and find Daniel. Carter had told him that was a pretty stupid idea, so he'd grumbled at her and then started to dig through their packs to get some MRE's to eat. It was late, and he was tired, but he didn't want to sleep yet. 

Teal'c sat next to him on the cold floor near the small fire that Jack had managed to get going. Teal'c looked peaceful in the glow of the light, his eyes closed. O'Neill presumed he was in a state of Kel-no-reem. 

Jack sometimes wished he could meditate. His thoughts seemed to wander off every time they were in stressful situations and only adrenaline seemed to keep him going. No, that wasn't true. He could maintain focus as long as they were doing something constructive. It was all this sitting around that got his mind wandering to the bad stuff. Case in point - they had the mirror, but no controller, so no way to get to Daniel, and no way to communicate with him. It was making Jack nuts.

Without warning, a faint glow appeared in the cave. Staring into the flickering firelight, Jack had almost missed it. He roused Teal'c with a sharp poke to his shoulder, and grabbed his P90. 

They quickly stood on either side of the mirror with their weapons, while Carter hung back a bit. This was it. The thing Jack had hoped for, dreamed about, appeared to be happening. His heart thumped in his chest.

The mirror flashed fuzzily a few times before snapping into a sharp image, revealing Colin Bridgman. Jack felt his rage building as the soldier immediately raised his hand to touch his mirror and came through alone. 

Jack stepped up to meet the younger man eye to eye. "Hold it right there."

"Co-colonel. How?" Colin seemed stunned, clearly surprised to see them there, and lifted his arms in surrender when O'Neill trained his P90 straight at him.

"You bastard!" Jack yelled in fury. With more than a little satisfaction, he saw the man in front of him blanch in fear, stepping back in the face of his anger. "What did you do to Daniel?"

"Sir." Carter took his arm to calm him down.

"I." Colin started, faltering. "I came to get help. I want to help get Daniel back to you. Please believe me. I'm so sorry." 

"What?" O'Neill hoped there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

Bridgman looked like he was about to fall over. Jack lowered his gun and took one step back to let the guy have some room to breathe. He didn't trust him as far as he could throw him, but he was all they had. They needed information before they could go through and get Daniel.

Colin sighed. "I never meant for him to get hurt." 

"Hurt?" Jack's heart was racing. They'd hurt Daniel? He was getting this terrible feeling inside like something he ate wasn't sitting well. "What the fuck did you do to him? Is he all right?" 

"Yes. At least, I think he is. So far." Colin rubbed his hands together, clearly in distress. "Colonel O'Neill has. Ah. Been questioning him." He shot a nervous glance at Jack's furious face. "We need to get Daniel out. I came back to get help. I didn't think they would hurt him, I'm so sorry," he said again.

Jack was fuming, trying desperately to get his temper under control. "I'm sure you are!" O'Neill bit at him. "So, now what?"

"I need your help, colonel," Bridgman answered. "I couldn't do it by myself."

"You need all of us." Carter was standing ready to go, and O'Neill would have smiled at the willingness of his team if the situation weren't so serious. Teal'c was nearby, his back ramrod straight, awaiting his orders.

"You can't go back there, Teal'c." Bridgman frowned at him, looking worried.

Jack carefully lifted his eyebrows. "Why not?"

Bridgman sighed, not very happy with the situation because now, instead of one, there were three very angry faces were looking at him. 

"Teal'c, being a Jaffa, would stick out like a sore thumb. There are no Jaffa on base in my reality. We could never sneak him in and out."

"And what about me?" Carter asked, not sounding convinced.

"There is already a Carter in my reality, and she is helping with the rescue operation. It would look weird to walk along with two Carters," Colin blurted out. 

"We are not letting you go alone, colonel." Carter was really upset now. "What if this is a trap?"

Teal'c grabbed Bridgman's collar, looking him over. "I do not believe Colin Bridgman will deceive us again, Major Carter." He glared threateningly at the sergeant.

Jack waved at Teal'c to get him to let the trembling man loose. Jack stared at Colin, trying to see straight through him. He'd be taking a hell of a risk to trust him.

Jack was also worried about the other O'Neill. He had seen him on the security tape from Daniel's apartment. "What if I run into my other self?"

"We'll try to avoid him, of course," Bridgman said. "And you can act like the one from my reality. Shouldn't be hard." At Jack's glare, he blurted out, "I mean, he's not very- uh, nice. All you have to do is give off a big attitude and never smile and be mean."

"Sir?" Carter still looked worried.

Jack made his decision. He had to go through the mirror and grab Daniel back, at any cost. He turned to Sam. "Guard this mirror, major. I'll be back-- We'll be back as soon as we can. When I come back, I'll have Daniel with me." 

He sighed, not liking the idea of leaving his teammates behind any more than they did.

* * *

"No. Please," Daniel begged as he fell slowly to his knees. They were back in the dead Daniel's office, where everything looked so familiar but where nothing was really right.

O'Neill had his hands around his neck and was squeezing hard. Daniel had nothing left, no spirit or strength to fight him. With dismay, he realized that there was no way out of his plight. His body hurt all over, and he couldn't breathe or think straight.

Dr. Frai. *Janet* was there. The image of her pale face, standing next to an airman, swam in and out of Daniel's hazy vision. He vaguely remembered her trying to take him away, and from the terror in her wide eyes and stiff posture, he could tell she was now paying the price.

O'Neill followed him to his knees, staying at eye level with him. He removed his hands from his throat, and took Daniel's shoulders in a firm grip that made him yelp. Dark eyes bored into his, and Daniel tried to look away, turning his head.

O'Neill shook him roughly. "I'm totally sick of this shit. You're going to start translating right now, Jackson," he growled.

Daniel wondered how long he was going to keep saying that. O'Neill must know by now that he would rather die than give in. He *would* die, like the other Daniel had, and this O'Neill would have killed them both. A short bark of hysterical laughter burst out of Daniel's chest.

"Think something's funny, you asshole?" O'Neill snarled at him. "If you don't start doing what I tell you right now, I'm gonna start killing people, one by one, starting with the doc, here, for helping you." 

"No," Janet gasped. "You can't do that!" She tried to back away from the kneeling men, but the airman by her side grabbed her roughly around the waist.

Daniel wondered if he'd really understood the colonel. He was going to kill Janet? This couldn't be happening. O'Neill had to be insane. He apparently would kill anybody who got in the way of his getting weapons to use against the Goa'uld. This man was a monster, so far off from the other Jack. Daniel's Jack. 

Daniel hung his head, his chin resting on his chest, eyes closed. Oh, how he missed Jack. He couldn't stop thinking about him.

"So, what do you say, Daniel?" O'Neill whispered in his ear. Daniel raised his head and did his best to look at Janet, tears in his eyes. He had no choice. He couldn't let O'Neill hurt Janet. He had to do what he wanted, or Daniel would never be able to live with himself. He believed O'Neill, convinced that he would carry through his threat.

Daniel slowly nodded, letting his eyes slide closed, shutting out the sight of the gloating face in front of him. "All right," he whispered weakly.

"Good! It's about damned time. You Jacksons are a royal pain in the ass." O'Neill smiled as he got up and then hauled him to his feet, shoving him into a chair near the table on which rested the Tollan device. "Get started right now," he hissed in Daniel's ear. "And you'd better have some answers for me when I come back." 

Rather than staying to make certain Daniel complied, O'Neill simply left him alone, dragging Janet out with him, along with her guard. Daniel wanted to protest, still fearful for her, but dizziness threatened to overwhelm him. It didn't fade, increasing to the point where he wondered if he'd be able to stay upright. He grabbed the edge of the table and tried to stop the merry-go-round, gasping for breath. He had flashes of light in his eyes, making him sick to his stomach.

He was about to fall flat on his face when a hand steadied him. It felt gentle, comforting, in sharp contrast to the rough treatment he'd been getting since he'd arrived. With shock, he looked up, straight into the concerned faces of Colin, Sam and Jack O'Neill. Daniel had no trouble seeing that was his Jack, come to rescue him, since this one's face was full of concern and what looked suspiciously like love. Or was it just his imagination, his brain playing tricks on him? 

Opening his mouth to speak to them, Daniel found he could only croak. Darkness conquered light as he fainted.

* * *

"Hurry up. Get in here."

Jack held the elevator doors to let Colin and Dr. Carter come in with the wheelchair, into which they had loaded Daniel. The doors closed, and they were on their way to the surface. 

Jack stared at Daniel, trying to swallow the emotion he had at seeing him again. He couldn't let his feelings show right then, or their plan would fail. There were cameras in the elevator. He had to remain stoic, putting on an act, trying to look like that rat bastard, the other O'Neill. 

The minute he'd seen the Carter from this reality, Jack had been reassured that their rescue would succeed. Colin had been about to have a nervous breakdown, but she'd taken the lead, knowing where to find Daniel and how to get him out.

Daniel. Jack stared at the unconscious young man, whose chin was lolling to on his chest, skin as pale as death. He could see bruises starting to turn black and purple on both sides of his face, and his eyes were swollen almost shut. 

The O'Neill who had done this was one sick shit. Jack knew the reasons for kidnapping Daniel now, but that didn't give them any excuse for beating and torturing him. It made Jack sick, both with concern for his friend and fury with his captors.

"Ready?" Dr. Carter pushed at him gently as the elevator stopped.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He took in a deep breath.

She smiled. "We have to hurry, it's already getting light."

"What about you two?" 

She glanced at Colin and back at Jack. "We'll be all right."

"Thanks," Jack murmured, knowing he should say more. "Thanks. For everything."

The elevator doors opened, and Jack started to push the wheelchaired Daniel out, past security. He looked back once to give Colin a two fingered salute. The young soldier suddenly smiled and saluted him back, just before the elevator doors slid shut again. Jack was glad Bridgman had decided to do the right thing. even if Jack wasn't quite ready to forgive his part in kidnapping his friend.

Colin's car was still parked nearby from when they had left it when they'd arrived, and the warehouse with the mirror wasn't far away, with just one guard posted.

Everyone Jack saw thought he was the O'Neill from this reality. It had to work. He had to get Daniel home. Jack pulled up Daniel's blanket, covering him.

"Sir." The guard at the gate stared at him.

"Yes, Captain?" 

"I thought you just left, sir, how did you--" The guard waved his hands in a helpless gesture, and Jack froze. The other O'Neill must have come through there earlier. He had to say something good now.

Fixing the man with a glare that dared him to contradict him, Jack said, "I came back in through the side entrance, captain." It was stupid, but it was all he could think of so quickly. He knew the captain could check this out with the guards who were standing at the side fence. 

"Yes, sir." The guy sounded convinced, willing to take Jack's words at face value. Idiot. "Have a good trip, sir."

He stood aside to let him pass into the parking lot. Jack could tell by his expression that he was scared of him. Well, not of him, but of the other O'Neill. No one had asked him why he was walking around with a wheelchair. For the first time, Jack had faith that this was going to work. 

Arriving at the car, he opened the back door and carefully lifted Daniel onto the seat. Daniel was shivering and mumbling something in a soft, pain filled voice. Jack wanted to hug him and reassure him, but he just swallowed hard, closing Daniel's door. He quickly jumped into the driver's seat and drove off, daring to breathe for the first time since he'd come onto the base. He let out a relieved sigh. All he had to do was to get the stupid controller that Colin gave him to work, and then he could get the two of them back to their own reality.

* * *

Jack stopped the car near the warehouse and briefly scouted the area. There was another car parked nearby, which worried him. It didn't have to mean anything, but you never knew in that part of town. This was another reality, but it was close enough to his own, he knew that area could be trouble, since it was a typically run-down warehouse district.

He decided to leave Daniel in the car, covering him up with the blanket, and willing him to stay unconscious. He wanted to do a recon in the warehouse before he took him inside. He carefully shut the car doors and made his way to one of the building entrances.

The mirror was in a small room in the back. Taking careful steps, Jack moved stealthily into the warehouse, using several large wooden crates littered throughout the building for cover. When he looked around the final corner right outside the room with the mirror, he held his breath.

His doppelganger, the other Jack O'Neill, was standing in the doorway, smoking a cigarette and looking pissed off. Just what Jack needed.

Jack winced, pulling his head back in order not to be spotted, cursing to himself.

He had to get Daniel home soon, or this O'Neill would find out what had happened. Maybe he already had. No, that couldn't be, Jack argued to himself, they had been very careful. Maybe the guy was just waiting for someone? Maybe they were going to move the mirror to another location now that they had what they wanted.

Jack suddenly knew that he had to take this guy on, or their chances of leaving would be very slim. Thinking only of Daniel, he took a deep breath, pulled out his sidearm and stepped out into the light, banking on a level of surprise.

Shock was more like it. Before O'Neill spotted Jack, another tall man in an Air Force uniform walked in through another entrance, dragging Daniel, who was struggling weakly and only half awake. 

"Look what I found outside," the man said to O'Neill.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed to himself again. This was not at all going according to plan. He had to do something. It was now or never. He ducked back out of sight and started sprinting back the way he'd come in.

Darting back to the entrance of the huge building, Jack threw himself against a large pile of the crates, toppling them over with a huge loud crash. He quickly ran back towards his hiding spot near the room with the mirror, looking around the corner just in time to see the soldier drop Daniel and run away towards the source of the noise Jack had made.

O'Neill had been temporarily distracted, and Jack dived for him without thinking twice, throwing the soldier to the ground. 

The man let out a surprised yell, and then he cried out again when he saw Jack's face. "What the hell?"

Jack was overcome with anger because of the way O'Neill had hurt Daniel, so without waiting for another word from him, he hauled off and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could. Then he kicked him a couple more times while O'Neill moaned and tried to curl up on himself to escape the punishment Jack was doling out.

A soft moan from behind him made Jack stop. It was Daniel.

Straightening up like the world had suddenly switched to slow-motion, Jack turned away from O'Neill. He went to Daniel and fell to his knees next to him.

With a low cry, Jack pulled the young man up and hugged him close to his heart. Unaccustomed tears stung his eyes as he let out all the frustration and anger that had built up inside him. All that mattered now was that he had Daniel in his arms. He had him back, and he never wanted to let go.

Suddenly he remembered to look for the controller for the mirror. Without it, they were lost. Where had he left it? Jack was still clinging to his friend when he found it in his pocket. Thank God.

Next stop, home. They had to get home.

* * *

"Oh God, Daniel," Jack moaned as came through the mirror.

The minute he lowered Daniel onto the ground back in their reality, Jack fell to his knees again. Behind them, the mirror blinked with an accompanying low sound and went blank. Sam and Teal'c were right there, staring at them.

"Sir, what happened?" Carter also fell to her knees, checking Daniel for a pulse. She looked worried and happy at the same time.

Before he could answer, Daniel suddenly started to whimper, and Jack took the young man in his arms. "I need a blanket, Carter!" 

She was up and next to them again in an instant, unfolding a blanket and wrapping it around Daniel. "What about you, sir? Are you all right?" 

"Yes. I will be now," he whispered.

All his attention was on Daniel now. Jack couldn't take his eyes off him. He looked so pale and fragile. 

Jack knew the first order of business was to contact the base and get help. They needed to get Daniel to the infirmary. 

Daniel suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him. Without warning, he started to cry out, trying to get loose from Jack's grip. "No, no! I told you I'd do anything you say, just don't hurt Janet! Let me go, please!" 

"Hey, easy Danny. It's me. Jack," he crooned. "Shhhh. Don't worry, you're safe now. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. No one's gonna hurt you." Jack held on to him tightly, keeping the blanket draped around Daniel's shivering body. 

"No." Daniel kept struggling, almost sobbing now, tears running down his cheeks. "Please," he pleaded. Suddenly he went limp again, losing his battle with unconsciousness.

"You're home, Daniel." Jack spoke right into Daniel's ear, wanting to reassure him, but he felt helpless and frightened.

"O'Neill." Teal'c laid his hand on Jack's shoulder. "He has been abducted and then hurt by someone who looks like you. He fears you." 

"The other you, sir," Carter said in a sympathetic voice.

It was like a knife slowly sliding into his gut. Daniel was afraid of him. Traumatized and in shock the way he was, Daniel couldn't tell the difference between Jack and that bastard who'd caused him so much pain. He looked down into Daniel's face, and his heart wanted to stop. Tears came to his eyes, and he tried to swallow the emotion that was so tight in his throat. 

Jack looked up at his teammates. "Teal'c, Carter, let's get Daniel home." 

"Yes, O'Neill. Let me carry Danieljackson," Teal'c said solemnly. 

Jack slowly let go of Daniel, letting Teal'c lift him. 

Jack looked at the mirror, which was still standing in the back of the cave. He knew they would have to destroy the damned thing.

He vowed that nothing would come through it again. Ever.

* * *

Daniel tried to swallow, but nothing got past his closed off throat. It was as dry as sandpaper. Every muscle in his whole body hurt, like he'd been hit by a truck. He had a monstrous headache. He couldn't remember what had happened to make him feel so awful. In fact, he wasn't even sure of where he was.

Keeping his eyes closed, he heard voices nearby, heard his name being spoken. People were talking about him. Concentrating on those voices, he felt his headache get worse, but he had to know what was going on.

The pain. Suddenly, Daniel remembered being beaten, and then an uncontrollable shaking, agonizing shocks going through his entire body, affecting every nerve and muscle. The memory of the torture he'd undergone was strong. He tried to will it away, but his fear of the pain returning was overwhelming. 

An alternate reality. He was sure he was still in the other reality, and now they were talking about him. His heart almost pounded out of his chest, and he held his breath. He couldn't let them know he was awake. He just couldn't go through that pain again, sure that he wouldn't live through it.

"Is he going to be all right, Doc?" 

Oh, God. It was O'Neill's voice. Not again. Daniel froze. O'Neill had been asking if he was going to be okay? Why was he asking that, when he was the one who was responsible for his condition in the first place? His captor must be playing some sick game again.

"He'll need some recovery time, but he'll be fine, colonel," Fraiser answered in a soft voice. "He has a concussion and severe bruising everywhere. There is a small burn wound on his chest that actually is pretty deep. I can't even begin to guess what caused it, but it will heal."

She took Daniel's hand as she stood by his bed, and he tried not to wince at her touch. Janet was here, and she sounded okay, not even scared. Daniel was grateful she was still alive. "He was exhausted and dehydrated when you brought him back."

O'Neill had brought him in to the infirmary? This was getting weirder by the minute. Last thing he remembered were O'Neill's hands on his shoulders, breathing threats into his face. Daniel tried not to, but he started to tremble a little. No, he had to calm down, or they'd know he was awake.

"Daniel?" Janet worriedly said. "I think he's awake, colonel." 

Daniel held his breath again when he heard footsteps rapidly fading away. High heels? Janet was leaving the room. 

O'Neill was still there. Even though his eyes were closed, Daniel could sense his nearness. He continued to shake, scared shitless and hating the feeling, his breath escaping in little gasps. He felt like hell, and the last thing he wanted was to be left alone with his tormentor. Why had Janet left him alone with this man? 

Daniel felt a hand on his arm. "Daniel?" O'Neill said in a soft voice.

"NO!" Daniel's eyes flew open, and he stared right into the colonel's startled face.

All Daniel knew was that he had to get away.

* * *

Jack had been sitting next to Daniel's bed for five hours. Five hours was nothing compared to many other vigils he'd kept in the infirmary. This was no different than any of those other times.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. This time Daniel had been extremely afraid of him when they'd brought him back. It had made Jack feel sick. 

All he knew was that he had to be at Daniel's side when he woke up. He had to reassure him that he was home again, and that he was going to be all right. He didn't want anyone else telling him that. Jack wanted to be the one to do it.

Fraiser had told him to go home and that everything would be fine, but he had to see for himself, and he wasn't going to leave until he did. When the doc had left after telling him that Daniel was awake, Jack had felt helpless but determined. Daniel was awake but didn't want Jack to know. 

Jack had to let him know that he was there for him. He laid his hand on Daniel's arm and said his name. Daniel's eyes popped open, sheer terror visible in those expressive blue depths, leaving Jack startled for a moment.

"No!" Daniel bolted upright and hurled himself off the far side of the bed before Jack could catch him.

Jack stood there in numb shock as Daniel scrambled for the door, knocking over the IV stand and pulling the needle out of his skin. Blood sprayed out of his arm, but Daniel didn't seem to notice. 

Jack came to his senses and was behind Daniel at the door in an instant, grabbing his friend around the waist and pinning his arms down. This time he was not about to let him go.

"Let me go!" Daniel roared. "Please!" He sounded terrified.

Daniel started to struggle, but grew weak very fast. He started shaking in Jack's arms, sobbing in fear and anguish. "No no no no no no!"

Jack held him close, talking directly into his ear. "Daniel. Shhh. Calm down. Listen to me." He had to make Daniel see he was safe. No one was going to hurt him again. He had to convince him that the other O'Neill was not there, and that he was Jack, his friend. Somehow he had to get through to Daniel.

"Daniel, you're safe. It's me," he repeated. "You're home, Danny."

The young man was limp with exhaustion in his arms, and Jack let them both slide to the floor while he still held onto him tightly. 

Daniel moaned, shaking his head, his eyes closed. "You-- you're just tricking me." 

"No, I'm not." O'Neill finally thought of an entrance he could use. "You still owe me a dinner date. Remember? I won't let you bail on me this time."

Daniel's quieted as the words sunk in. He clung to Jack, his face buried in his chest.

Jack could almost hear Daniel's heart thundering as his friend tried to catch his breath. Jack loosened his grip a bit to give Daniel some room to move. 

"Jack?" Daniel finally whispered, barely audible. Watery red-rimmed eyes studied him, the beginnings of a smile on his battered, split lips.

"Yep. It's me, Danny." Jack slowly turned Daniel around slightly so he could see his friend's face.

"It's really you? I thought-- I thought I was--" Daniel's voice faltered, and he lowered his eyes like he was embarrassed. 

"Sshhh. You're home now, Daniel. Right where you belong." Jack tilted Daniel's chin with his hands, using his thumb to slowly wipe some tear tracks away from the pale cheeks. He was really getting to be a big softie in his old age. But he couldn't care less at the moment. He had Daniel back, and that was all that mattered. "I brought you home myself."

"You-- you did?" Daniel was definitely blushing now.

"You bet. I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Jack?"

"What?" 

"Shouldn't we get off the floor now? What if Janet comes in?"

"Right." 

Jack furtively checked the infirmary for on-lookers, suddenly aware their cradled position could be viewed as compromising. Not that he really minded, but it could get embarrassing for the both of them.

He felt a slight tremor running through Daniel, either from the cold or from residual shock at waking up back home. Blood still trickled down his arm, staining the hospital scrubs he wore as well as Jack's fatigues. Actually, getting Fraiser back in there didn't seem that bad of an idea.

Carefully detangling their arms, Jack stood up and eased Daniel to his feet. Daniel was trembling violently, and Jack was very concerned.

He walked his friend over to his bed and just as he helped ease him onto the mattress, the door of the infirmary flew open and Janet came rushing in. Jack was relieved to see her.

"I'll take it from here, colonel." She had the familiar don't-get-in-my-way look in her eyes, and Jack moved back.

Daniel was looking at him in despair. "Jack. Don't go." 

"Take it easy, Daniel. I'm gonna give you some medicine to help you rest now." Janet needed to stop the bleeding and reinsert another IV, but first she needed to get her patient calmed down. She injected Daniel's arm with a sedative

"Jack!" Daniel said urgently, holding out his hand to him. Jack frowned at Fraiser, taking one step back towards the bed and his friend. 

She nodded and waved at him to step to the other side of the bed, where he wouldn't be in her way. He quickly moved over and took Daniel's hand. 

"I'm right here, buddy. Not going anywhere."

"Tha. thanks, Jack." Daniel whispered and squeezed his hand. 

In just a few minutes, the sedative started to kick in. Daniel's eyelids drooped, and his hand that had been holding Jack's went limp. Daniel was asleep.

Somehow, Jack got a grip on the emotions racing through his body. He usually did well, when it came time to hide his emotions, but this time it was difficult. They'd gotten Daniel back, and Jack wasn't about to lose him again. He couldn't. He knew now that he needed him too damned much.

"Will he really be all right, Doc?" Jack asked.

"Yes, colonel. He'll be fine." She smiled up at him. "He's one tough cookie, as we all know. And that little talk you just had on the floor must have done some good." 

"What?" He flushed instantly. She had seen Daniel and him on the floor just now?

"Don't worry about it, colonel." She was serious, not laughing at him the way he thought she would. "You did good."

"I did?" He coughed. "Yes, I did." More confident now.

"Get some sleep, sir." She checked Daniel's pulse. "He'll sleep for several hours now. You can come back when he's awake. So can Sam and Teal'c."

"Okay. Thanks, doc." 

He knew he had a dopey grin on his face when he left the infirmary, and he didn't care. Daniel was going to be just fine. He really could let himself believe it now. As soon as Daniel was recovered, he'd make plans to take him out to dinner. Daniel didn't know it yet, but they had a lot of talking to do.

* * *

"Hiya, Danny." 

Daniel looked up from his computer screen just in time to see Jack walking into his office, dressed in a dark green suit with a crisp white shirt and pattened tie that made him look very sophisticated, like he was dressed up for some formal do. Taking a second look, he also thought that Jack looked rakishly handsome. 

"Time to go to dinner," Jack announced.

"Dinner?" Daniel frowned and then blushed. He'd forgotten. Again. 

Jack had promised to take him out for dinner that night to a nice restaurant. He'd eagerly said yes this time, saying no not even being an option. He'd been having some new thoughts about Jack lately. 

He'd been thinking about him as "his Jack". It'd seemed strange, and he was glad that his friend couldn't read his mind. They'd talked a lot these last couple of days, about what had happened to him in the other reality, and about the other O'Neill. 

Whenever Daniel thought about the O'Neill who had abused him so badly, he winced inwardly. He had nothing to do with his Jack. It had been some stranger who'd hurt him. 

The connection he'd had with Jack back in the beginning of their friendship, before this all had started, was back in full force. It even felt stronger than ever, but Daniel wasn't ready to explore that part yet. Maybe he would, though. Soon.

Now, looking into the loving eyes of his friend, Daniel smiled. 

Jack wasn't a touchy feely kinda guy, but sometimes Daniel could read him like an open book. Jack liked him. Very much. And he knew he didn't have to think twice about returning that feeling. Daniel was comforted by Jack's friendship, glad to know he'd be there for him. 

"I'm waiting, Daniel." Jack crossed his arms, tapping one foot impatiently. 

He looked like a guy who was up to something, somebody keeping a secret, and Daniel wondered what it was. What could he be up to?

"Um, Jack-- I, uh--" 

"I know, you forgot." Jack smiled. "Doesn't matter." 

"It doesn't?" He was confused, and knew he was showing it. Normally, Jack would be on a tear.

"Nope." Jack grinned, went outside to the corridor and then came back in again with something draped over his arms. It was a dark blue suit on a hangar.

"You've gotta be joking." Daniel was laughing now.

"It's an extremely expensive restaurant, Daniel."

"You're paying for all of this, right, Jack?" 

"I, um--" Jack coughed but then shrugged helplessly. "Sure. Whatever it takes to get you into this suit, Daniel." He put the clothing over the back of Daniel's couch and turned to leave. "I'll wait for you outside." Before Daniel could answer, Jack quickly turned to leave the office, as if he were embarrassed. 

Daniel raised his brows at the last comment and stared at Jack's retreating back with a big grin. "You do that, Jack," he called after him. He thought about the fact that he could actually fluster Jack. This was fun. Dinner would be okay. 

When Daniel went to get up, suddenly Jack was standing in front of him again. Now how did his friend do that so quickly? 

"I just wanted to tell you. I'm glad you're back, Daniel."

Daniel looked him over. Jack. His friend was standing right in front of him. 

Jack reached out with a shaky hand, trying to grasp his shoulder, when suddenly he changed his mind, and he grabbed Daniel in a tight embrace. Jack spoke right into his ear. "Really REALLY glad you're back." 

In that instant, Daniel knew that he didn't have to worry about those he'd left behind in the other reality. He was back where he belonged, safe, in the arms of 'his' Jack. 

He threw his arms around Jack and squeezed him as hard as he could. "Me too, Jack. Me too." 

The End.


End file.
